10 Questions You Should Ask A Wedding DJ Before You Hire One — By Grant Allendorf, Owner of Supersounds Entertainment, Since 1978
1. What types of events do you play for? DJ experience may be one of most important criteria in selecting a DJ. DJing a wedding is very different from playing at a club. Many club DJs do not transition well to weddings, because clubs have not prepared them for social acumen and announcing skills that wedding DJing requires. You want a DJ who is well rounded, well spoken, and at ease in a variety of social settings–not one who merely plays music for similar crowds night after night. Weddings have diverse groups of people of different ages, backgrounds and musical tastes. Experience teaches DJs how to bring together diverse groups on the dance floor. One dimensional club DJs struggle with this important aspect of wedding DJing; therefore, you want a seasoned professional with extensive experience performing in front of weddings, corporate parties, and other social occasions. In short, club experience does little to prepare your wedding DJ for what your wedding needs guests may need.
2. Can I hear my DJ before we hire him or her? The DJ is one of the most important factors in determining the success of the wedding. It may be the most important factor and decision you make about your entire wedding. Seeing the DJ in action in a wedding setting is almost impossible due to the private nature of weddings. Any DJ that suggests you come to a wedding they are playing is unprofessional and not worth consideration. Weddings are not appropriate advertising showcases for uninvited guests to assess the DJ. So how does one hear the DJ? The DJ company should furnish the phone number and email of the DJ you select so that you can speak with him or her.
3. Can I see a sample contract before I commit to hiring you? This is another important consideration. Review the contract to make sure that it makes sense to you, and that there are no unreasonable clauses the company providing the contract wants you to sign. One DJ used to tout his reviews and urge potential customers to view them, and then in his contract, he would write in a clause stating that if the client ever says anything bad about his company on social media, the DJ company will sue the client for 10,000.00. Would anyone sign that contract? I sure wouldn’t as having you sign away your first amendment rights isn’t something I would recommend for anyone. It is your right to be able to say what you want about someone, and nobody should be able to take that right away from you. Speaking your mind on social media is a way clients can keep their DJs accountable.
4. How many reviews do you have on google or wedding wire? This is another area that can tell much about a DJ company. We have a 5.0 rating on wedding wire and google. We also have the most google reviews in VT for DJs with 165 on the knot, and almost 300 wedding wire reviews. If the DJ you are considering has none or a few you may want to continue your search.
5. How do you deal with music lists? A great DJ will gladly accept your playlists and do-not-play lists. The DJ must be flexible and willing to listen to the clients’ needs and wants. With our company, we accept lists for pre-ceremony, cocktails and dinner, and of course dancing. The client typically will give us a majority of the music, if they so wish. Timing is everything. A good DJ will fit all of your music requests in at the right times. You should be able to put trust in your DJ to keep the dance floor rocking with great music. The timing of when songs are played, is the key to a successful dance floor. Experienced DJs know how to execute perfect timing! At Supersounds, these decisions would all be reviewed at your pre-wedding consultation with your DJ to make sure you all have the same expectations.
5. How do you get the crowd going? Your DJ should understand how to read a crowd, build energy, and keep that energy high. Your DJ should also have the skills to blend the music between fast and slow in a way that keeps the most guests involved, and be able to determine who is dancing and who is not, and to adjust the music accordingly.
6. What is your policy on guest requests? Guest requests can be tricky if they aren’t aligned with the musical tastes of the bride and groom. How do you handle this? What we do at Supersounds is allow the Bride and Groom to request the majority of their wedding music, if they so wish. We want you to have the best party of your life and to dance, but not be concerned or to worry about is anyone going to dance to your next request? We like to allow for some flexibility so the DJ can bridge the bride and groom’s music with a few of their own (transition songs), and to allow some requests to be made by guests, provided they fit the vision that the bride and groom has for their wedding (i.e. are not a do-not-play song, or style of music). This takes all the pressure off the bride and groom to build the perfect playlist for all guests, and puts it on the DJ. We want you to have the best party of your life and to dance, but not be concerned or to worry about is anyone going to dance to your next request? Guests are usually happier too if they can request a few songs at the reception. If the bride and groom script the music 100% then the DJ basically has to tell people making requests that the bride and groom have a scripted playlist and we are not accepting requests. We have played at 100% scripted weddings, and will do 100% scripted weddings, but we have found that weddings that let the DJ have some flexibility are always more successful.
We only want success for you!!!!
7. What type of sound equipment do you use and do you have backup equipment?
Equipment is very important. The standard speakers that 90% of DJs use are QSC –K-12s, or RCF Brand speakers. Professional grade equipment is important for great sound quality at the wedding. A DJ buying budget brand gear usually equates to budget brand DJing; moreover, high-end equipment is essential for doing once-in-a-lifetime events. Not only should good DJs have quality gear, professional DJs should carry back up mixers, backup media players, backup laptops, backup mics and backup speakers. If quality brand name gear is not standard with your DJ, you may want to move on to the next vendor. Supersounds has two identical DJ systems we bring to each wedding. One is for the reception, and one is for the ceremony. This enables us to have backup equipment onsite at all times and there are no gaps in the music between ceremony and cocktails, cocktails and dinner/dancing.
8. Do you guarantee a specific DJ, and what is your backup plan in case the DJ is sick or unable to perform any other reason such as death in the family? At Supersounds, clients get to request their DJ. Provided they are available, that is their DJ. If any emergency or dire situation arises, we ALWAYS have you covered IN-HOUSE with an experienced DJ, as we have such a large staff. That means we have OUR STAFF who we know and trust, cover your event. Additionally: We have 1-2 DJs on call every weekend, so we have any emergency situation covered. You will never be without a DJ if you hire Supersounds, EVER! Make sure that your DJ has a backup plan to cover your once-in-a-lifetime event should something unexpected occur. DJs who say “I have a network of DJ colleagues who step in to cover” does not help your peace of mind, and it will ultimately be up to YOU to find a replacement DJ! Not fun! Supersounds has been contacted HUNDREDS of times with couples and clients whose DJ bailed out on them at the last minute. Simply unacceptable, but it happens way more than it should. Backup plan is key!!!!
9. Do you help coordinate events / timeline? Our DJs help you to coordinate all aspects of your wedding day. From the ceremony music & microphones to the wedding grand introductions, parent dances, toasts, and any other organized formalities! They are there right alongside you / your planner to make sure everything goes smoothly! A little preparation goes a long way!
10. Why should I hire your company over someone else’s? What separates Supersounds from other DJ companies is the number of DJs we have to choose from, and the professionalism of those DJs. Our staff has been with us for 5-20 years on average, with some having been with us for more than 25 years. When it comes to music selection, skill, and knowledge, nothing is more important than experience. I feel we have the strongest staff in the area. I base this on our excellent reviews, exciting DJ videos, and the personal interactions our clients have with our DJs through phone calls or in-person meetings. Our company has been in business for over 45 years, and we have not stayed in business that long by doing a poor job or by not treating people right. Our reputation is everything, and we work hard at every event to continue to maintain that reputation. A quote from an old DJ I knew told me inexpensive DJs are usually not great, and great DJs are usually not inexpensive. We have done over 7,000 weddings in our 45-year career, and with each wedding we do we learn and grow as a company, and hopefully continue to set the standard for DJ excellence in New England. We have DJed weddings at the Four Seasons in Boston, Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, and in New York City. We have even been asked to play in Hawaii. Getting asked to play outside of our regional zone is a tribute to the reputation of our DJs and our company.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Grant Allendorf is the owner of Supersounds Entertainment, a full time entertainment company. He started Supersounds in 1978 at the height of the disco era. Supersounds offers DJ services, videography, photo booths and lighting packages for weddings. He is a contributor to Vermont Bride magazine and several online publications. His son Ryan Allendorf is a full time employee and the Supersounds office manager and lead video editor.
Supersounds Entertainment is the highest rated DJ Company on google in VT and one of the highest rated DJ companies on Wedding Wire. Grant and Ryan can be reached at 802-899-2823 Monday-Friday from 8-5:00 or emailed at [email protected]
